Abu Dhabi: Owner Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, and trainer Majid Al Jahouri were celebrating on Sunday when their jockey Patrick Cosgrave led defending champion Musharab to victory in the 2200m Emirates Champion Group 1 race at the Abu Dhabi Racecourse.
It was the seventh Group 1 race win for the Emirati trainer, who also holds the record of five wins last season. Musharab, a bay horse, showed he still had the legs to go all the way — winning by 1.75 lengths. Naseem, with Harry Bentley on board, lost the second-place battle to Richlore, ridden by Tadhg O’Shea, by an identical margin.
Al Jahouri said afterwards: “I knew Musharab would be dangerous when I saw the turf today. He is good on surfaces which are fast. I want both of them [Musharab and Naseem] to run in Kahayla Classic [at the Dubai World Cup on March 29].”
The big bounty (Dh370,000) for thoroughbreds and the final race of the calendar, the Group 3 Abu Dhabi Championship over the same 2200m, was won by Jamr in a thrilling photo finish.
It looked like the Mike De Kock-trained Mushreq would run away with the race but Jamr, ridden by Adrie de Vries, picked up pace just metres from the line and won the contest by a nose. O’Shea, on Start Right came third, 1.25 lengths behind.
“It was great to finish the season on a high. I knew we had a good chance in this and I tracked Mushreq throughout most of the race. Then a gap opened inside, which I took and he then ran on strongly,” said an elated De Vries.
With the trainer and jockey championships both under his belt, champion trainer Ernst Oertel and O’Shea produced another scintillating performance in the UAE Arabian Derby.
It was supposed to be a grudge race, with both Nymphea Du Paon and Swwing once again coming face to face.
The Eric Lemartinel-trained Swwing had pipped Nymphea Du Paon in the last race only to be stripped of the win later by the stewards.
However, on Sunday, Nymphea Du Paon ran exceptionally well right from the start to finish.
Swwing, ridden by Gerald Avranche, followed suit closely for most part of the race, but clearly ran out of steam in the final stretch.
Haanoof and Mubasher also overtook Swwing in the end.
“She is a champion like I had said before. Last time, it was two weeks in a row and she was a bit tired. Today she showed what her worth is. She will be a top-class horse next year and go for the President’s Cup. She is quite versatile and can win over a mile. We will aim her for the big race,” said Oertel, who now has 43 wins for the season.
Oertel went on to reveal that his focus now shifts on to the Dubai World Cup. “It has been a tough season and, thank God, we are now in this situation. Everything is going well and we are running well. Now we have Al Ain and Jebel Ali but we have to look towards the Dubai World Cup, which is the next priority.”
